Christian Living

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Reasons why a Christian should not gamble
by Dan Langerock

If you are a Christian and are confronted with the option of gambling or not, how do you respond to yourself and others? These are some reasons I believe it is wrong for a Christian to gamble from my observations as a chaplain and minister, as well as logic.

1) Is God setting up the casinos and other places that gambling takes place? No, of course not. It is the enemy, Satan, who is doing this to draw
people away from God among other reasons. herefore, you are handing the money God has enabled you to earn by whatever means to Satan by allowing yourself to gamble.

Some people rationalize it is okay to go to entertainment and other things put on by gambling casinos etc., but think about this aspect. All
those extra enticements to come to casinos are meant to ultimately get you to gamble eventually. Even if you do not participate in the gambling, there is a profit being made by eating at the steak house, going to the shows, or
whatever is going on at the time. So you are not gambling, but you are enriching the casino or whatever by going there for other reasons.

2) In Romans 12, the apostle Paul talks about not doing anything that will stumble someone else in the faith. Everyone is at a different level
spiritually, so my actions can affect someone else who is possibly struggling in their faith. My presence at a questionable place like a
casino or a restaurant that is primarily known to be a bar could be stumbling to someone else.

Maybe you don't care about others, so this is a moot point, but I just want you to think about what you are doing and where you are going. I have
talked to people about this subject and found an uncaring attitude "That is their problem, not mine." People I have addressed this issue with, have basically said "I want to do my own thing, I don't care about others."

These same principles apply to anything that is owned by a cult such as Scientology or whoever. Many times these cults have golf courses and other things that are there to promote public appeal. If you are participating in these items, you are enriching that cult or organization
to carry on Satan's work. Think about it.

3) If you begin to gamble, there will probably come a day when you must stop gambling for one reason or another. In the valley where I live,
gambling is one of the three top addictions according to the doctors who treat these conditions. It is much harder to stop an addiction than it is to never start it in the first place. The Bible tells us, "There is
pleasure in sin for a season." There is no doubt that it is fun to gamble, but what are the consequences to you and your family. What could you be using that income for other than gambling? It is not just slot machines and other mechanical games that are at issue here, but bingo also. Look around you at the proliferation of bingo games all over, not just at casinos. Churches, service clubs, etc., all promote these games. This is not just a game but gambling as well.

If you are a Christian, then you need to live a Christian life according to the Bible, not what others are doing. It is not glorifying to God to spend your money in this fashion, whatever your reasons for doing it. You are promoting the enemy's agenda by succumbing to these temptations, and hurting your witness as well. We all make unintentional errors in what we say and do anyway in the course of living, so why deliberately offend God and your fellow man? Think about what you are doing and where you are spending your money. You are the one who must account for your life. Is this part of it something you would
want to account to God about? Think on these things.

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